Under Control
by Peaky
Summary: With the war, ever raging between the Lee's and the Shelby's a marriage may be the only thing to bring peace to the families but what happens when the groom refuses to say I do? As for the bride, Julia had never wanted to get married but her family insist. One thing she can promise is that she will never be under the control of a man.
1. Chapter 1

Deep brown eyes met emerald green through the high orange flames of the bonfire, the flames licked the sky and the wood crackled as it burned. Their eyes did not leave each-other as they made their way around the fire, towards the side away from the drunken party, people cheered and sang old gipsy songs on the other side but they were silent. They looked at each other for a moment, confirming they are happy to proceed with the next step of their night. Her green eyes looked him up and down from head to toe, boots and loose pants, his shirt untucked and his waste coat open. A mop of blonde hair on his head. "You a lee?" She whispers, she watches his dry thin lips as he licks them, a thin layer of salvia laying on top of them, making them softer to kiss.

"No." He clears his throat, was he lying? She didn't have time to think, hell she didn't have time to care before his lips where on hers, he presses too hard on hers, his teeth clashing with hers, her mood almost instantly gone until he grabs her hand and drags her around the back of a caravan, she laughs, throwing her strawberry blonde hair back.

If only she had turned around she would have seen the woman watching them through the flames, her anger as hot as the flames, watching her granddaughter run behind the caravan with a boy much older than her. "Daniel." The old woman whispers, turning her head she looks over at her son. "Julia" She nods towards the caravan behind the fire, The man nods back at her and whistles towards a young man behind him.

The pair of them take their knives from their pockets and march around the fire, the only light coming from it. In the shadows they see two bodies moving together, small moans and grunts can be heard. "Get off her!" Daniel screams, pulling the boys shirt and dragging him away from the young woman beneath him. Julia does not become embarrassed, she is not shocked that her uncle had found her like this, instead anger bubbled up from her stomach it felt like it was about to pour out of her throat. "Leave." He hisses to the man, who nods, his brown eyes filled with fear as he sees the light reflected from the knife in his hand. He runs away, pulling his pants up as he goes. He turns towards to the girl, pointing his knife at her. "This has to stop." He shouts, the young woman scoffs, buttoning up the blue dress she stands to her feet, smoothing out the skirt.

"But its fine when all the lads do it?" Julia hisses, stomping around from her uncle she heads back towards the party. She was in need of a drink, a strong one. It wasn't fair, all the men got to have there way without being tarnished a whore but she lets loose once and a while and she is the black sheep of an already black family. Pouring the drink, she brings the glass to her lips but before she is pulled backwards by her hair and pushed to her knees. "GET OFF ME!" She screams, trying to grab the hand that holds her there but its no use, the hand continues to pull her, scrambling to her feet she stumbles until she is at the door of a caravan, the hand pushes her down and lets go of her hair. "What the fu- Oh Granny." Julia starts before seeing who she is speaking too, her Grandmother stands above her, she looks mad- madder than Julia had seen her look before. It was the silent kind of mad, the disappointed kind.

"In." She nods at her, opening the door she watches the young girl climb the stairs and take a seat on the bench. Climbing the stairs was getting harder for her now, her knees not the same as they once were but she would never let her grand-daughter see this. "On my wedding day, my mother gave me this neckless." She points to her chest, a small silver cross hangs around it. Julia watches her, why was she having this conversation with her now? Surely she should be chastising her and beating her, surely her Granny had seen what happened behind the fire? Her uncle was many things but he would never keep a secret from his mother. He would be stupid too. "Your Mother passed when you were born." Guilt washes over Julia as she speaks, her family had never let her forget that she had been the one to take away there precious Mary.

Julia hangs her head in shame and looks down at the floor, an orange and red rug adorned it, it was dirty with dry mud and specks of cigarette ash. Her grandmother places a finger under her small chin and presses upwards gently, forcing Julia to look her in the eyes. She had the same eyes as her, passed down from generation to generation in the Lee family. "It was supposed to be hers but as you know, your father passed before they could marry." A bastard, she was a bastard child. Her words stung, even more, was this her punishment? For her Granny to tell her what a disappointment she had been? "She would want me to give you this." The old woman reaches behind her neck and unclasps it, folding it in her hand she places into Julia's, holding her hand gently. "Tomorrow it will be yours to wear and for you to pass on to your daughter."

Confusion and panic flash through Julia's face, her delicate features distorting. "Tomorrow?" Julia hisses, pushing the neckless back into her Granny's hand.

"It has been arranged." She nods at her, Julia cannot move, her whole body frozen.

"I won't do it." She grunts, folding her arms across her chest like a toddler having a tantrum.

"There is a war between families and you are betrothed to end it."

"So that's all I am? A pawn in your war?" Julia stands, swinging open the door to the caravan she begins to descend down the steps but before she can make it all the way out her Grandmother speaks in her native tong, freezing her in her tracks.

" _You have let this family down, tomorrow you will make this right."_


	2. Chapter 2

Guns, bats and knives- the weapons of choice for the day, the truck bounced around of the uneven ground, knocking the men into each-other if it wasn't for the weapons you wouldn't have been able to tell they were heading for battle. They wore freshly pressed three-piece suits and if you looked close enough you could see the razor blades stitched into the peaks of there caps. The air smelled of fresh polish from there shiny shoes, they sat in silence, each man saying a prayer, the same prayers they did each morning in France. Praying for themselves and their brother's safe return home, that no family blood would be spilt that day.

The van came to a holt and a broad yet slender man jumped out of the cab, a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth, he bangs on the side of the truck, signalling for the men to climb out. One by one the jump out of the back. They begin to walk up the dirt track, the broad man leading the pack. Suddenly he comes to a holt, halfway up the road. He turns around to face the young blonde man in the middle of the pack, a toothpick is sticking out of his mouth. The rest of the men face him too, surrounding him. "There is one thing that you need before you go into battle." The man nods, his face straight, he reaches into his pocket, the rest of the men do the same. The blonde man looks around at them, confused. Had he missed something?

Each man produces a white rose from there inside pocket and begin to fasted them to there pockets, The broad man holds a flower out to the blonde one before fastening it to his suit. "What the fuck Tommy!" The man hisses, stepping forward towards the man.

"There is a girl up there John, waiting to marry you." John lunges forward, going to tackle Tommy then. Who did he think he was? Tommy grabs Johns face in his hand holding it close to his own as he searches his eyes. "There's a woman up there that has gone of the rails, There is a woman up there who needs a husband. You're a man who needs a wife, this will end the war between us, Brother." John pushes away from his brother then, a look of disgust on his face.

"No." John spits, taking out his toothpick he lights a cigarette and places it between his lips.

"You have no choice John, if you don't do it they will kill us all." Tommy pleads with his brother, it was unlikely the lees would kill them, they could try but they would lose in the end, they all knew this.

"I can't Tommy." John looks away from his brother then, up to the sky as the smoke he releases from his lungs float upwards. "I'm already married." He's not sure what he feels first, the floor or his brother's fist on his cheek.

"You're fucking what?" Tommy shouts, standing over his brother. The rest of the men watch from the side- unsure of what to say, or do.

John leans up on his elbow, staring his brother in the eye. "You wouldn't approve so I did it anyway, you will have to get yourself another groom!" John huffs, standing up he wipes away the dirt from his suit, it was still dusty and probably wouldn't just wipe off, it would need a proper clean. Tommy frowns but nods at his brother, there wasn't much point arguing now, what could they do about it really, John was married. To who he did not know but he could deal with that later. He looks around at the men who look away from him, stepping backwards, none of them agreeing to marry the Lee girl. Tommy looks up at the tall man to his left who tries not to make eye contact with him.

"Arthur?" Tommy questions, the man looks over at his brother then, making eye contact for the first time.

"Linda would take my balls, Tommy." Arthur laughs as he shakes his head, his fiancé would literally chop off his balls and take them to church with her if he married another woman.

"Right." Tommy nods, lighting another cigarette he turns away from the men and continues up the dirt road.

"Where are you going, Tommy?" John shouts after him.

"To get married," Tommy replies, the men look at each other, was he crazy? He was going to marry the girl himself. One by one they begin to trail after him. As they arrive at the field the Lee men are stood around, a gun in their hands. It takes Arthur all he has to not point a gun at them if it was one thing he hated it was the Lee family.

Tommy walks towards an older man who is dressed in what is probably his finest suit but its dirty and wrinkled, the problem with being a gipsy is that you don't have access to the same amenities that you do In a house. "Come with me." The man spins on his feet and leads Tommy towards a caravan, he knocks on the door and opens it gently, the door creeks its hinges in need of oil. An older woman appears at the door, her hair dark but greyer now than black, a scarf is covering most of it. She looks Tommy up and down as he stands there with his hands behind his back.

"Well, will I do?" Tommy forces a smile at the old woman who only nods in response, she leads him towards a field behind the caravan. He was surprised that she did not ask why it was him that was going to be married to her granddaughter and not his brother but then again he doubted that she cared, by what she had said on there the last meeting she just wanted to get rid of her granddaughter.

She leads him down a makeshift aisle that they had made in the field, hay bales would act as seats for the guests who had started to arrive, both families would be all together for the first time since his mother died and this time no one would be shooting. At the end of the aisle, there are two cushions, one red and one purple. One for her and one for him to kneel on once the ceremony had begun. Tommy takes his place and whistles towards Arthur for him to take his place next to him. "You sure about this Tommy? What about grace?" Ah, Grace, Grace was the second love of his life, a dainty thing from Ireland that had walked into his life and made him see light again. She was at work now, at the garrison. They had agreed to meet once the wedding was over. Yes, he would have some explaining to do later on.

"The most important thing today Arthur is peace." Tommy nods, he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince his brother or himself. One thing was for sure though, he never went back on his word and he had given that to the head of the Lee family. He had promised them a wedding and god damn they would get one.

The families stand to attention as they begin to sing, an old gipsy song. Tommy was not sure if he had heard it before but it sounded familiar, almost like a lullaby. He turns around to face to start of the aisle, that's when he sees her for the first time. A petite woman clutching to the arm of the man who had led him only a few minutes before. She is dressed head to toe in white, her dress is straight but pinched at the waist and covers her shoulders, She wears long white gloves to cover her arms so that only a flash of flesh is on show. He can't see her face, it was covered by a thick white vail. Her walk is confident but her fingers dig into the man's arms.

Julia was certain that she was about to do one of three things, fall over from her lack of sight as she couldn't see through her stupid vale, trip over from the length of the bloody dress or pass out from sheer panic. What if she didn't like him? What if he didn't like her? What if they had nothing in common and she spent the rest of her life married to someone who whenever they spoke she wanted to go to sleep? Before she had the chance to think of any more worst case scenarios her guide stops walking. He pulls at her fingertips, forcing them free and places it by her side. She counts down from ten, that was how long her Granny had said she would wait before he lifts her vail, but before she can get to 7 the veil is being lifted away from her face, she tries not to frown, she really does but she just can't help it. How could she smile when this wasn't what she wanted?

The first thing she sees when she readjusts to the light is ice blue eyes, Julia struggles to take her eyes off them but she does as her Granny tells them to Neil. Throughout the ceremony they steal glances at one another, each wanting to know more about the other person or at least know what the other looked like.

Tommy looked at her less than she looked at him, Julia thought, maybe he was just trying to pay attention? She couldn't stop looking at his face, from the mop of black hair with shaved sides to the chiselled jaw and cheekbones, Julia could appreciate that he was a good looking man.

"Your hand, Julia." Her Granny demands, Anna is knocked from her daze as she realises this is the second time that it has been asked for. Tommy chuckles and shakes his head, Julia can feel her embarrassment spread throughout her body, she had been caught staring at him. She holds out her hand and her Granny drags the blade across hers and then across Tommy's. "You are now man and wife, please kiss the bride."

Her emotions get the better of her as she smiles at Tommy, to her pleasure he is smiling back at her. _It must just be the adrenaline_ Julia dismisses the smile they shared as Tommy places his hands on her cheeks and presses his lips gently on hers, they are warm and soft but they are gone far too quickly. As they break apart the families begin to clap and cheer, Tommy, takes her hand as he stands, nodding to his family he pulls her down the aisle. He was in serious need of a whisky.


	3. Chapter 3

A warm hand pressed against the small of her back, pulling her in closer to him. Julia held his shoulder and his hand as they swayed from side to side. Tommy looked down at the small woman, he had to appreciate that she was a beauty, she had long blonde hair that fell in waves down her shoulders and deep emerald green eyes. Her features were soft and small, just like her body. Although she was a beauty he could already see the act she was playing for her family, the happy smiling bride, grateful for there choice in the groom. "You don't have to pretend with me," Tommy whispers in her ear, his breath tickling her neck.

Julia frowns and pulls away from him slightly, fixing her features into a wide smile. "I don't know what you're talking about." It was the first words they had said to each other, it was the first lie that she would tell him. On the outside she looked happy, joyful even but on the inside she wanted to curl up into a ball, yes she was lucky; He was a good-looking man but she had heard the stories of the Shelby family, she had wanted more for her life, she had wanted to leave this city and find a good man with a respectable job. Was that too much to ask for?

Tommy does not respond, she leans her head onto his chest so that she doesn't have to look him in the eyes, she feels the tears well in her eyes and her body begins to tremble, Tommy releases her hand and places It on the back of her head, shielding her tears from the view of her family. To the outside it looked like a young couple in a romantic embrace, only they knew the pain within it. "Kiss her Tommy!" A voice bellow's from the crowd. Julia discretely wipes her tears away and looks up at Tommy, she lets out a small laugh, it's not forced but it's not a happy laugh, it's from disbelief.

Tommy gently places his lips on hers, it's not like this kiss from earlier, it's harder and his lips move against hers, the kiss is empty without any emotion. They break away and share a small smile as they nod at each other, an understanding between the newlyweds. They may not have chosen this situation, they may not be in love but they would pretend at least to the outside world that this had been the right choice, there was too much on the line for them not too.

The wedding was a success for all intensive purposes, the families found that they had more in common than they would have liked to admit. Julia danced with her cousins and drank whisky until the world was spinning around her. If she had to get through this she would need to be drunk. Tommy sat at a table with his brothers for the best part of the night, watching his wife spin around in circles and nearly fall to the floor several times. "So what do you think of her?" Arthur questions as he takes a sip of his whisky.

Tommy takes his eyes away from the dancing and looks across at his brother, he shrugs his shoulders and takes a drag of his cigarette. "I think she'll be trouble," Tommy answers honestly as he looks back over to Julia her hair was becoming bigger by the second the neat pleats that had been fasted to the back of her head where coming loose and she had a wicked grin on her face. Yes, she was going to be trouble, that was for sure.

"Tommy," Arthur whispers, He only just hears him, looking across to his brother he sees his eyebrows raised as he nods to the other side of the field, Tommy whips his head around and his mouth goes dry. A skinny blonde is stood staring at him, confusion on her face. "Good luck," Arthur grumbles.

Tommy looks across to Julia who is stood still in the crowd of dancers staring at him. Tommy makes his way towards her and places a hand on her arm whispering he would be back in a moment, he had some business to take care off. Julia nods in response but does not take her eyes off of him as he marches towards the thin woman stood watching him. Tommy grabs her by the arm and pulls her further away, they disappear into the darkness.

"Ada said John was getting married." She whispers as she watches Tommy pace back and forth, he runs his hand through his hair, he looked stressed, her Tommy looked stressed for the first time since they had met.

"There was a change of plan, Grace." Tommy looks at her then, he sees the confusion change to heartbreak and then into anger.

"You." Tommy only nods in response, Grace wraps her cream coat further around her, hoping that it would stop the tears that were about to come.

"I'm sorry Grace I-" Grace raises her hand and slaps him across the face, stopping him from going any further with his words, his actions had hurt enough she didn't need his words digging a deeper hole into her chest.

"Don't you dare!" Grace spits at him, they stand there still, both at a loss for words, the silence saying everything that needed to be said.

"Tommy." A voice comes from behind him, he turns to see who it is, he can only see the outline of her white dress. "Come back now," Julia demands, she stands watching the couple. Tommy nods at Grace and turns away from her and walks towards Julia taking her outstretched hand in his. Julia pulls him but she doesn't take him to the party, instead, she takes him towards one the barns. It's dark and cold but the location is perfect for having privacy. Julia turns towards him once the door shuts. "You won't ever disgrace me like that again." Julia hisses, Tommy can't help but keep the smile from his lips, was she really ordering him? Who did she think she was. "Look, neither of us wanted this." Julia looks towards him them, awaiting his nod she raises her eyebrows in question, was he disagreeing with her? "Fine, I didn't want this but here we are, I want to make some things very clear Thomas Shelby." Julia takes a step closer to him so that she can see his face clearly in the light shining through from the gap in the door. "The only reason we are here is that of our families and if you want to keep them sweet you will use them in your business ventures. Secondly, I will not be your housewife, I will have my own position within your business and I will have my options heard." Julia watches him carefully, he doesn't look angry with her demands but he does look slightly amused. "When we are alone this act can end, we don't have to be friends but we have to be civil. So the little stunt you just pulled with your girlfriend will not be stood for, do you understand me, Thomas?" Tommy shakes his head a wide grin across his face, was this woman for real?

He holds out his hand to Julia and firmly she shakes it as she is about to let go he pulls her towards him, she stumbles but regains her balance. Before she can speak Tommy plasters a chaste kiss on her lips. "Whatever you say, Mrs Shelby."


	4. Chapter 4

Birds chirped as the sun began to rise, they had drank the night away and everyone was slowly making there way towards their beds. The grass was wet with the early morning dew and it dampened the bottom of her dress and soaked into her shoes making her shiver. Julia looked around the field for anyone familiar but they had all gone, they had left her here alone. Where they not going to say goodbye before she left? She heard the gravel crunch under the horses hooves behind her. Sighing she takes one last look at her home, the rows of caravans bright with colour, the fields around her and the fresh air. She wouldn't be back her for a while, she would need to time to adjust and coming home would not help that.

Tommy hopped down from the horse and held out his hand for Julia, she ignored it and lifted herself onto the horse without his help. She had been riding her whole life and had never needed the help from a man in order to mount. Tommy shakes his head but does not smile, she was going to be hard work. Too stubborn for her own good. He climbs up and lifts Julia's hand and places it on her waist, she may be stubborn but even she had to know that not holding on would be a bad idea.

They made there way out of the farm land and down the beaten dirt road, Julia wants to rest her head on Tommy's back and cry but she doesn't, instead she keeps her head held high and does not look backwards, if she does the tears would surly come. They ride in silence as they make there way towards the city, the houses started out being separated with a small patch of land between them but slowly they made there way deeper into the city. Julia had been here once before, when she was a small child and the smell of the smoke and dirt made her feel sick, she much preferred the open air of the country. Suddenly they were surrounded by miles of back to back houses. "We walk from here." Tommy turned his head towards Julia. She slowly spun her body and slid down the side of the horse, her pretty white shoes instantly covered in black grime.

Tommy hands the reigns of the horse to a small man in a flat cap. "Who's this Tommy?" The man nods behind Tommy at Julia who is silent and looking anywhere but the man.

"My wife." Tommy says dismissively at the Man he begins to walk away from him, Julia scurries behind him quickly following in his footsteps. He takes a quick turn down another street, Julia cant tell where they are, it all looks the same to her and she's unsure of how Tommy can tell where he is going. Tommy comes to an abrupt holt in front of a deep green door. Julia nearly knocks into the back of him but steps out of the way so that she doesn't touch him. The earlier light hearted smile that he wore has gone and he is now frowning, he looks exhausted and he seemed to have age years since they left the farm. How old was he anyway? Julia thought, she had forgotten to ask. This man could easily be ten years her senior.

Pushing the door open he walks in first, the door nearly springing back at hitting Julia. Another piece of her heart crumbles and falls to her stomach, there would be no welcoming her over the doorstep in her husbands arms like she had always dreamt of. "Living room." Tommy motions to a small room with two arm chairs and a fire place, the fire looks as though it has never been used and it is deadly cold. "Kitchen." He points over towards a door at the far end of the room. He then turns and marches up the stairs in front of him. "My room." He opens the door at the top of the stairs.

Julia is surprised at home homely it feels, there is a small single bed in the corner and a bed side cabinet next to it, on the floor in front of the first is a tin bath. Julia scans her eyes across the room, where would she sleep? The bed would not be big enough for both of them. Suddenly Tommy marches across the room and picks something up from the bed and shoves it into the drawer of his bed side cabinet. "We will get a new bed." He nods at her as he takes of his peaked cap, placing it on top of his chest of drawers. "I wasn't expecting.." _To get married._ Julia finishes off the sentence in her head, so this hadn't been his plan? "We should.." Tommy fumbles, as he looks at the small bed.

"Right." Julia nods back at him, they would need to consummate the marriage within 24 hours. It was the gipsy way, if they didn't their marriage would be cursed. "Can you?" Julia forces a smile at Tommy as she points to her back, she wouldn't be able to undo the buttons without his help. Slowly Tommy walks towards her and she spins around, lifting up her strawberry blonde hair so that he can start from the top. Tommy slowly begins to undo the buttons, one by one. Julia couldn't help but wonder how he could be so calm and was undoing her dress so smoothly, she could hardly keep her fingers from shaking whilst holding her hair never mind undoing buttons.

Tommy releases the last button and slowly slides the dress down her right shoulder, her skin is soft and clear apart from a few freckles upon her back. With a shaky breath Tommy leans into Julia, wrapping his arms around her waist. Words are at the tip of his tong, he wants to tell her that he is sorry for the situation that she is in and that he thinks she could be happy with him one day but the woman doesn't deserve to be lied to, not when she is in such a vulnerable position. Instead of words coming from his mouth Tommy begins to kiss down her neck and onto her shoulder. Slowly he pushes the rest of the dress from her shoulder and is falls gently to the floor. Spinning her around his breath catches in his throat, she really is a beautiful woman.

Julia tries to hold back the tears as Tommy takes in her body, he is looking at her like every other man had looked at her. She would be used by this man just like all the others but for the first time, she didn't want to be used, she wanted to be loved. Tommy does not seem to notice or if he does he does not seem to care as he leads Julia to the bed, laying her down gently he climbs on top of her.

They lay in each other's arms afterwards, both out of breath and panting. Julia rests her head on Tommy's chest, her fingers tracing up and down his stomach. The sex had been good, she was grateful that at least he knew what he was going with a woman but there was nothing there between them, no spark on any level. "Who was I supposed to marry?" Julia whispers, looking up at Tommy.

"My brother, John." Tommy sighs, trying to not look her in the eye, if he looked at her he couldn't pretend she was somebody else. "I wasn't supposed to.." Julia doesn't need him to finish the sentence. "But I had to." He does it anyway, he had to. All a part of the family's bid to end a century long war. That's all she was, a pawn in a game of tug and war. Tommy see's the tears forming in the young woman's green eyes, sighing he shifts onto his side, cupping her face in his hand he wipes the tears away with his thumb. Julia pulls away from him then and sits up on the bed, swinging her legs around so they dangle of the edge of the bed.

"This wont happen again." Julia hisses back at Tommy as she stands she looks around the room for a shirt, she pulls it over her body and stands at the edge of the bed. "Until you get another bed, you are on the floor." She points to the rug at the foot of the bed. Tommy raises her eye brows, was she serious? Why should he sleep on the floor? "Floor." Julia demands, folding her arms across her body. Tommy shakes his head a she climbs out of the bed and lies on the floor, pulling one of the blankets with him. Julia throws a pillow at him and it lands on his face. "Good night Thomas." Julia murmur's as she climbs back into the bed, turning her body to the wall she shuts her eyes, but sleep does not come easily. Julia spends hours counting the amount of flowers in the wall paper, by the time she eventually drifts off she has counted over 200.

Tommy hears her breathing change to shallow slow breaths, knowing she is finally asleep he slowly creeps across the room to his night stand, he pulls the drawer open and takes out his pipe and makes his way out of the room and down the stairs. Siting down in the arm chair he lights a match and places it to the end of the pipe, watching it beginning to build up smoke he takes a slow deep drag from the end and places it onto the table next to him. Leaning his head back on the chair he welcomes the low hum that rings in his ears and the darkness that surrounds him.

When Julia awakes she forgets where she is, the strange room is cold and smells of damp. Was it damp? She wasn't sure. "Tommy what's that smell?" Julia stretches her arms above her head and lets out a loud yawn. "Tommy?" Julia says a bit louder before leaning over the bed. The pillow and blanket still on the floor but Tommy was no longer there. Julia slowly makes her away out of the room, had he left her here alone? Julia makes her way down the stairs, his coat and hat still on the rack by the door. Julia pushes open the living room door to see Tommy fast asleep on the sofa. Julia goes back up stairs to fetch the blanket, maybe she had been harsh on him, making him sleep on the floor like that.

Julia throws the blanket over her husbands body, making sure his shoulders are covered so that it won't fall down. That's when she sees it, the source of the strange smell; an opium pipe. "Oh Tommy." Julia sighs as she picks up the pipe, it's still warm and there is a small bit of the drug still rolled into melted ball at the end. "You poor man." Julia whisper's as he places the pipe back on to the table. Many of the men that came back from France used the drug to help them sleep, to stop the nightmares from happening.

As Julia is about to leave the room she hears Tommy stir, she watches him for a moment, beads of sweat begin to form on his brow and his murmurs become more angry shouts. "No! Let go!" Tommy begins to shout and thrash in his chair. Julia runs to him then, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Tommy! Tommy it's okay!" Julia shouts, shaking his shoulders. "Tommy it's okay, your home!" Julia hushes him as she strokes his cheek. Tommy's eyelids fly open, his ice blue eyes full of confusion. "You're ok." Julia soothes him, Tommy nods in response, not wanting to fight her. She had seen him in his most vulnerable state and she had managed to pull him back from one of his never ending nightmares, something that only his brothers could normally do. "Would you like a cup of tea?" Julia smiles at him, he nods in response and she releases him. Julia makes her way to the kitchen, thankfully a kettle already sits upon the stove top and all she has to do is light it.

Tommy watches her from his seat as she makes her way around the kitchen looking for something to put the tea in, he wasn't even sure he had anything suitable. After-all, he wasn't the type of man to drink tea.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi all,**

 **Sorry for not updating this story in so long, I got in a bit of a rut with this one but I am fighting through it – so here you go! - S**

Julia's hips rock back and forth as she lifts herself up on her tip toes, she runs her fingers through her hair as she leans her head back and closes her eyes. She hums at first but allows herself to get lost in the song and begins to sing gently at first but getting louder and louder. She had always loved to sing, ever since she was a little girl. Julia would sing for her whole family and they would stop and listen to her, silence would wash over her normally loud family. They would clap when she was finished and would relish in their appreciation for her gift. Since leaving her family she hadn't had the chance to sing, sure she had the time. God did she have the time, it felt like she was being passed from pillar to post in the Shelby family. Today was the first time she had got some time to herself and she revelled in it, she had a bath, washed her hair and let herself dry in the nude by walking around the house. Eventually, she got dressed and put on make-up, another thing she hadn't done since the wedding, she used to love putting on her lipstick but since moving in with Tommy she didn't feel like it was worth it, he wouldn't appreciate it anyway.

Tommy stood outside the window and watched her through a crack in the curtain he took a long drag on his cigarette as he watched her sway her body. He couldn't ignore the peaceful look on her face, her eyes were closed and her lips were moving. He assumed she was singing, he doubted she would be talking to someone whilst dancing in the living room. Tommy leant forward and knocked on the window, startling her. Julia jumps in fright and snaps her head towards the window, her shock turns into embarrassment as she sees Tommy watching her through the gap in the curtain. Tommy waves her towards him, sighing she picks up her coat and slips on her shoes and goes out of sight for a moment. He leans against the window and lights another cigarette.

"What is it?" Julia huffs as she shuts the door behind her, the lock snapping shut behind her. She shrugs on her cream coat and folds her arms across her chest. Tommy nearly laughs at the look on her face, her embarrassment had turned into anger.

"What where you singin?" She can see the smirk playing on his face, the smug bastard Julia groans internally, why hadn't she closed the curtains properly.

"What do you want Tommy?" Julia sighs as she takes his cigarette from him, she was waiting for him to stop her but he didn't he just let her take it and lit another one for himself. He would normally shout at her or give her a snide remark for even trying to take it from him. Tommy raises his eyebrows at her and takes another drag of his cigarette. Julia groans and blows her smoke upwards before looking back at him. "Someone to watch over me." Julia waits for his nasty comment about it not being proper music, he only normally like instrumental pieces.

"Right." Tommy tries to hold back his laughter but he can't the look of embarrassment on her face hits him hard. "You'll have to sing it for me sometime." His laughter continues and she ignores him, her tongue pressed to the inside of her cheek.

"Thomas," Julia warns, giving him a stern look as her voice drops lower and she places her hands on her hips.

"I need you to cover the shop for an hour." He shrugs his shoulders at her, she looks almost disappointed, what else had she been expecting? That he would want her for anything else. Julia nods at him and brushes her blonde hair behind her ears and pushes past him, her shoulder brushing his. He huffs at the contact but she doesn't look back at him, he watches as she crosses the road and opens the door to the betting shop. Good, she was out of the way for an hour and he could have the house to himself for a while.

Tommy unlocks the door and pushes it open, his feet carry him without thinking as he makes his way into the kitchen. He reaches up to the top of the cupboard and brings down the old biscuit tin, his fingers tremble as he sets it down on the kitchen table, he takes a seat and opens the lid before pulling out his pipe. It had been weeks and his body had never felt so bad. He had felt sick with the fever and the nights seemed to last forever with the crushing headaches that would arrive in the darkness. That wasn't even the worst of it, the clattering of metal and the tapping on his wall seemed to get louder and louder every minute of every day until eventually, he passed out but then the walls would come crashing down and he would wake again to start it all over. He rolls the ball between his fingers and places it on the end of the pipe before striking a match and lighting it. Tommy lets the smoke rise up into the room before lifting the pipe to his lips and taking a long deep drag, letting the drug wash away his demons even if only for a moment.

When Julia sits down at the desk in the middle of the room the rest of the Shelby women stare at her in confusion. Polly glances at Ada and frowns before nodding toward Julia. "What you doing?" Ada walks towards Julia and leans on the desk in front of her.

Julia continues to count the coins on the desk, she finishes counting before she looks up at her sister-in-law. "Tommy asked me." Julia shrugs her shoulders, she didn't owe an explanation to these people, she didn't have to ask to be in her husband's business. It was as much hers as it was there's now. Ada scoffs at the blunt response and turns on her heels sharply.

"Pol," Ada shouts across the room to her Aunt. "Why don't you read Julie's tea?" Ada walks towards the young woman in the centre of the room and places a pot of tea on the desk and an empty cup and saucer next to it.

Julia huffs and glares at the young brunette. "My names Julia." She hisses, she knew Ada knew her name but got it wrong just to annoy her.

"Poor the tea." Polly walks towards the girl and leans against the wall opposite her. Julia follows her instructions and holds the cup in her hands. "Swill." Julia moves the cup in her hands. "Think of the man you love." Julia scoffs but does as she's told, she doesn't think of anyone in particular instead she thinks of her ideal man, a man that is kind to her and who is handsome, who makes her laugh. "Drink." Julia had never been a fan of black tea and this was the worst she had tasted, it was almost bitter. Julia places the cup back on the desk. Polly marches towards her and snatches the cup off the desk.

Polly studies the cup for a few minutes before glancing towards Ada then back at Julia. "What is it?" Julia begins to panic, the anticipation was killing her.

"A baby," Polly whispers before placing the cup gently back on the desk. Julia's breath gets caught in her chest as she tries to speak. Her eyes are wide with panic, She reaches forwards and grabs the cup, trying to see what Polly sees but its no use it makes no sense to her. She couldn't be pregnant, she just couldn't be. Just as she thinks the tears are about to come she heard the two women begin to laugh. Julia snaps her head up to Polly, the rage visible on her delicate features. "Sorry love." Polly laughs harder, Julia stands then and grabs her coat, she grabs the edge of the desk and flips it over, throwing money across the room she marches out and slams the door behind her, leaving the laughing Shelby woman behind her. As the cold air hits her face she isn't sure why the tears are falling down her face, is it anger? Embarrassment? Or is it the disappointment? Because for a moment, she didn't feel so alone in the world.

Ada Is still chuckling as she picks up the coins from the floor, she places them back on the now-upright desk before reaching for the smashed teacup. She holds the pieces in her hands as she turns back towards her Aunt. "What did they really say, Pol?" Ada questions as she places the pieces in the bin next to her.

"I told her the truth, Ada." Polly smiles, when she had seen the look of disgust on her the young girls face she had decided to laugh, knowing that this would make her believe they were joking. This was something she would have to figure out alone it seemed. "We are going to have to watch out for that one," Polly whispers, watching the girl through the window as she unlocks the door to her home. Polly watches Julia as she wipes the tears from her eyes and pushes the door open. "She's going to be trouble."


	6. Chapter 6

**I want to say thank you for the lovely reviews, it means a lot and I'm glad you are enjoying this story. Please enjoy this extra long chapter – S**

Her green eyes fluttered open as the light began to make its way into the small room. Julia groans and pushes herself further down in the bed, twisting her body as she sighs into her arm. She peaks up and looks at Tommy through her blonde hair, he is sleeping and snoring gently, even in a dream-like state he looks angry. Julia smiles at her own thoughts and flips herself onto her back. The quick movement makes the room spin and she struggles to focus on one spot. "Oh." Julia whisper's as she sits upright in bed, she clamps her hand over her mouth and scrambles off the bed. She drops to the floor and pulls out the chamber pot from underneath it, luckily it is empty, but not for long as she empties to contents of her stomach into the bowl.

Julia leans back on her knees and wipes her mouth. She sighs and brushes the hair away from her face. Julia's mind begins to race, it wasn't like her to be sick in the mornings. She didn't feel sick, she hadn't felt sick when she woke up, no she had seen this kind of sickness before. Polly's words dance around in her mind, there laughter becoming louder and louder. She begins to count on her fingers, how many weeks had it been since her last period? She shakes her head, disbelief washing over her. The old hag hadn't been lying, she really did see a baby in her leaves.

"You alright?" Tommy pushes himself back up on the bed and watches the young woman, her small frame is visibly shaking as she kneels on the floor. Her face is pale white and she looks like she has seen a ghost.

"Yes," Julia whispers, standing up she picks up the chamber pot and leaves the room, she makes her way downstairs and goes into the street. With nothing on her feet, she walks on the cold dirty ground and pours the sick down the drain. Julia stands for a moment, the cold wind slapping her face and waking her up. She was pregnant, she was going to have a baby. Julia shakes her head in disbelief. She looks up at the sky and whispers thank you. After everything that had happened, this was something that she would have, something that would be her own in this horrible place.

Julia turns back to the house and half expects Tommy to be stood at the door waiting for her but when she looks no one is there. When she gets back up to their bedroom he is asleep, not a care in the world for her. Julia crawls back into the bed and turns away from Tommy, she pulls the blanket back over her and lets her exhaustion take over.

Tommy shakes Julia's shoulder until she wakes, she groans and pushes away from his touch, flinching almost. She yawns as she stretches out her body. Tommy taps his foot impatiently. "Get up." He grunts at her before marching away from the bedroom and down the stairs, he hears her curse him but pretends not too. By the time he has smoked several cigarettes and put on his coat she is dressed and down the stairs. "I need you to distract someone." Tommy states simply as he puts on his flat cap, Julia only frowns in response.

"Who?" Julia shrugs on her own cream coat and her maroon flapper hat.

"You just have to stand there." He ignores her question as he heads out of the door, he doesn't open the car door for her as he walks to his own side and climbs in. Julia huffs as she pulls opens her own door. Julia watches him as he drives, he looked especially agitated today and she knew better than to push his buttons when he was in this mood. "You need to put on your ring." Tommy doesn't look at her as he speaks but knows she isn't wearing it, it's around her neck on a delicate silver chain. She nods and fiddles with clasp, it eventually comes apart, she slides the plain gold ring and slips it on her finger. "In there." Tommy nods towards the glove compartment in front of her. Julia reaches forward and opens the door, inside lays a black box; a ring box. She opens it gently and inside lays a thin gold ring adorned by three identical diamonds that lay side by side.

"It's beautiful." Julia whispers, mesmerized. She takes the ring from the box and slides it on to her finger, it sits perfectly above her wedding ring. Tommy doesn't answer her as he continues to drive, eventually, he turns down a smaller road that leads to a large marquee in a field. "What is it?" Julia suddenly feels panicked, with the number of cars in the field this was very clearly a fancy event, something she was certainly not dressed for her. Tommy ignores her and opens his car door, Julia waits for a moment, panicked but before she has the chance to get out of the car the door is being opened for her. Tommy holds out his hand and waits for her to take it. Julia raises her eyebrows at him but takes it anyway and lets him help her out of the vehicle.

Tommy wraps his hand around her waist and guides her towards the marque. "To keep up appearances." He whispers in her ear, his breath tickles her neck and makes her want to laugh. Tommy guides her inside and she is shocked with how many people there are, there are people dancing in the middle of the room, some are sitting at tables drinking and others are loitering at the bar. "It's an engagement party," Tommy whispers as he leads her to the bar. He nods at the barman and orders them both a whisky before Julia has the chance to tell him no he is sliding it towards her.

"Who's?" Julia takes a sip of the brown liquid, she knows she shouldn't be drinking hard liquor but hell it helped her nerves.

"I don't know." He shrugs his shoulders and smiles playfully at Julia. It was the first time since the wedding that she had seen him smile and even then it wasn't genuine, she wasn't sure if it was genuine now, not really. "Would you like to dance?" Tommy asks as he catches her staring at the couples on the dance floor. Julia nods at him eagerly, she hadn't danced since the wedding and she was aching to get let her body move. When she was at home the danced every night and it felt so good to move her aching joints so freely. Tommy wraps his arm around her waist and holds her hand as they rock back and forth. They stay like this for a few moments before Tommy pushes her away and spins her. Julia laughs as she falls back into his body. As she hits his body she lets out a deep breath and he catches her eye, holding her gaze he smiles back at her. She could have sworn he was leaning towards her but before he has the chance to kiss her someone is clearing their throat behind them.

Tommy pushes her away from him and turns on his heel. "What are you doing here Mr Shelby?" A lanky man with deep red hair and large moustache demands. There are men behind him, Julia can see the outline of there guns under there jackets.

"To talk." The man nods and motions for Tommy to follow him, Tommy takes Julia's hand and pulls her with him, they follow the men to a quiet table at the back of the marque. They sit opposite them, Tommy sits down and Julia goes to follow but Tommy stops her. "Go get a drink." Tommy dismisses her. Julia has to resist the urge to roll her eyes, of course, she wouldn't be allowed to sit at the table whilst they spoke business. Julia ignores what he says about getting a drink and makes her way outside, the fresh air cools her down instantly and she can feel the heat in her face slowly draining away. She lights a cigarette and lets the smoke calm her, today had been such a mixture of emotions, she wished she could be back in bed with the blanket covering her head.

Just as she is finishing her cigarette and dropping it to the floor she feels someone grab her arm and pulling her away from the entrance roughly. She knows it's him before she sees him, his sent washes over her and his grip is oddly familiar. "I need you to dance with him." Tommy smiles at her gently, but his eyes are tight and his tongue is pressed to the roof of his mouth.

Julia looks at him confused. "A dance?" Is that all he wanted her to do? Dance with the man?

"He thinks he's a ladies man and I want you to let him, you know." Tommy shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot like an impatient child. Julia only nods in response, she understands exactly what he wants her to do.

"I need to tell you something." Julia mummers, now it is her turn to feel uncomfortable but if she understood correctly what he was asking her to do. He needed to know all of the facts first. "I think I'm pregnant," Julia whispers the last word, almost as though she is embarrassed. Tommy does not show his reaction on the outside, his face stays calm and he does not flinch but inside his stomach is turning, pregnant? How? They had only had sex once, the chances of that happening where slim to none. He nods internally, he couldn't' be his, could it? Julia watches him carefully but sees 's he isn't going to change his mind, she turns on her heel and makes her way back inside the marquee.

Once inside she goes to find the tall man who had been speaking to her husband previously. She marches directly up to him, her blonde hair bouncing behind her. As she reaches him she holds out her hand and plasters an almost painful grin on her face. "I'm Julia and you are?" The man slides his hand into hers and shakes gently. The feeling makes her feel nauseous, his skin is scaly and his handshake is weak.

"George Williams." He turns her hand over and plans a sloppy wet kiss on the back of it making her gag but before he can look up again she has on the same smile he last saw. "Would you like to dance?" Julia only nods in response and allows him to lead her to the dance floor. He spins her roughly and places his hand on the small of her back, Julia keeps the same smile on her face and rocks back and forth with him gently. Slowly his hand slips lower and lower, several times Julia has to pull his hand back up, making it clear she wouldn't accept that kind of behaviour. "Let us go outside for a walk." George smiles down at her, now that she is closer to him she can see beneath the red moustache and can see the yellow teeth that it is hiding. Julia wants to grimace but she doesn't, she allows him to take her hand and follows him out of the marque. He leads her towards the cars, she isn't sure if she is near Tommy's, they all seem to look the same.

George comes to a halt next to her and shoves her against a car door, Julia lets out a yelp as her back hits the cold metal with a thud. "Mr Williams!" She hisses, pushing herself away from the car but before she can push back him he has spun her around and her stomach is pressed against the door, her face against the glass. Julia's body goes cold as she realises his sinister plan for her, she tries to push him away by shoving her shoulders and kicking her feet but it's no use, he's too strong for her.

As he reaches for the bottom of her skirt she begins to cry, panic washing over her. "STOP!" A voice yells from next to her.

"What are you doing?" The man spits, loosening his grip on her. Julia takes the chance to push away from the car and towards the front of the car, that's when she sees him. Tommy stood next to the car bonnet with a look of panic on his own face.

"She's a whore!" Tommy rushes, looking back and forth between his angry new business partner and his disgusted wife. "She's got the clap!" He almost shouts at him, the man looks towards Julia now, almost disgusted. "I couldn't' let you do it." Tommy nods to himself, pleased with his excuse.

Julia scoffs a she looks between the two men, eventually George nods at Tommy and shakes his hand to say thank you for stopping them, eventually walks away and says goodbye to the couple. Julia's eyes feel as though they are about to pour with the tears that are building up behind them, she bits her lip; hard, in an attempt to stop herself from crying. Tommy reaches for her arm but she moves out of the way, flinching in response. "Take me home." She demands before turning on her heel to find his car. As she faces away from him the tears fall freely, anger and relief are mixed together and make it hard for her to see.


	7. Chapter 7

Today was the day, her stomach fluttered and her heart was pounding in her chest. Julia fidgets in her seat and plays with the hem of her shirt. She leans her head back and closes her eyes not being able to look at the dirt road they are travelling in. It had been over two months since she had last been home and when Tommy had told her they would be visiting them she had jumped up and down with excitement. As the truck comes to a stop she opens her eyes and sees her families caravans ahead. She looks at Tommy cautiously but he nods in response. Without any hesitation Julia pushes the door open and hops out, the drop is higher than she was expecting and she stumbles on her feet but manages to regain composure before she falls. Julia runs towards the old woman in front of her who smiles gently at her with open arms waiting for her. Julia wraps her arms around her Granny and breaths in her welcoming scent. "I missed you." She can't help the tears forming in her eyes, her Granny doesn't respond as she continues to stroke her back gently.

"Thomas." She hears the woman speak and takes this as her cue to back away, as soon as she does she feel empty again but she can't keep the smile from her lips. Julia walks backwards and stands next to her husband. "How many weeks?" She whispers looking directly at Julia.

"Ten," Tommy says stiffly, Julia shifts uncomfortably under her Grandmothers gaze. They hadn't spoken about the baby yet and it felt improper to speak about it with anyone else yet. Not when it was so early anyway.

"You are the father." The old woman answers Tommy's question before he has the chance to ask them. "Now you can leave." The woman nods at the couple before turning away from them and heading back towards her caravan.

Julia's smile has now faded, she looks after her grandmother with tears in her eyes, she goes to follow her but Tommy grabs her arm and pulls her back to him. "Let go of me." She spits, trying to pull away from his grip but he holds her tighter. He doesn't speak to her as he pulls her back into the car, she continues to push away from him but he doesn't loosen his grip until he has slammed her door shut. He gets in and begins to drive away, Tommy does not speak to Julia as they drive, instead, he ignores her tears and concentrates on the road in front of him. Her Granny's words are flying around in his mind making him dizzy, the child was his, he was going to be a father. He had not explained to Julia why they would be visiting her family, he knew if he told her the reason she would argue with him for doubting her but he had to know for sure. He could have asked Polly but he didn't want the embarrassment of the child not being his being known to his family and the only other person he knew would know was her grandmother. Eventually, Tommy pulls the car to the side of the road just outside of the city.

Tommy turns towards Julia and watches her as she cries, her heartbreaking from the rejection of the only mother she had ever known. He leans forwards gently and brushes her hair away from her face, stroking her cheek gently. Julia sniffles as she feels him touch her, normally she would shove him away but she felt too weak to fight him today. She looks up at him and sees him watching her, his features are different from usual, he looks at her gently, as though she might break if he touches her too harshly. Tommy wipes away a tear with his thumb and sighs softly. "A baby." He whispers as he scoots closer to her now, the gear stick pressing into his thigh. He leans his head against hers and drinks in her warm breath. He watches Julia as she gives him a tired smile and closes her eyes. He isn't sure how he feels but he knows that at that moment he needs to kiss her, so that is what he does. He leans into her and kisses her lips gently, to his surprise she kisses him back. They have not kissed since the wedding and then there was no emotion between them. Julia can't help but kiss him back, an automatic response she supposes but she can't deny that it is a nice feeling.

The following day's everything seemed to go back to normal for them, Julia would help out in the betting shop and Tommy would be away taking care of business. He would come home and his tea would be on the table ready for him. For Julia, it seemed as though they were settling into married life.

As Julia passed today's takings to Polly she can't help but notice the way Polly is looking at her, almost with a playful expression as though she wants to tell her something. Julia raises her eyebrows as she hands over the last bag of coins. "Do you want to go for a drink?" Polly asks her, Julia isn't sure if she's serious and takes a step back. None of the Shelby family had spoken to her, not about anything other than Tommy anyway.

"Sure." Julia nods in response to her and picks up her coat. She helps Polly tidy up the coat and before she knows it she is sat inside the private room of the garrison next to Polly Grey sipping on a glass of cordial.

The two woman do not speak as they sit side by side on the bench. Julia's eyes wander around the room at the family photographs on the bleak brown walls. She had been to the garrison only once before with Tommy when it was his brother birthday but she had only stayed for one drink and made her excuses, not enjoying their loud brawl and talk of fighting. Julia's green eyes land on Polly's hardened face as she turns her head, the woman is staring back at her blankly. "Why am I here Polly?" Julia means for her words to come out strong and demanding but they don't, her voice cracks and is barely a whisper.

"I want to get to know you." Polly looks the girl up and down slowly. She couldn't deny that she was pretty, maybe a little too thin but still, she had inherited her Mothers looks and her fathers tong it seemed. "You are a part of this family now, whether you like it or not." Polly takes a sip of her whiskey and nods at Julia. She takes out her cigarette case and offers one to Julia she takes one and places it between her lips, leaning forward she accepts the light that is offered to her. The sweet taste of the liquorice papers mixed with the smoke is delightful and it makes her lick her lips to make it last longer.

"Okay." Julia invites her as she knocks the ash from her cigarette into the metal ashtray.

"I want you to come to the races with me and Ada." Julia nearly chokes on her smoke as Polly mentions his sister's name.

"She hates me," Julia mutters, taking a long drag of the roll up.

Polly shakes her head and laughs. "Don't be stupid! She doesn't hate you." Polly blows away the smoke from in front of her face and presses the cigarette into the ashtray, distinguishing it. "She just doesn't know you." And so the two women began to discuss the races, what Julia would wear and who else would be going. As Polly watched the young girl talk she couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over her. She may have been hard faced and have an aura of mischief around her but she seemed to have a good heart. Whenever she spoke of Thomas her body would change and a blush would rise from her neck to her cheeks. Polly wasn't sure if she was aware of this change but it was definitely there if you looked close enough.


	8. Chapter 8

**Well hello! I know it's been a while since I have updated this (or any) story! I was on holiday for two weeks then when I got back I was sick! but I am back and please enjoy this little chapter! - S**

The plan had gone well, or that's what his brothers had told him at least. Polly and Ada had taken Julia to the races, they had drunk champagne and had a small bet (with Tommy's tips of course.) Julia had been none the wiser to the conversations going on when her head was turned or that dance she had with the race track owner whilst his men moved in and took what wasn't theirs. Yes, the day had gone well indeed. That was until Ada and Julia had one glass too many and thought it was a good idea to evade the rest of the family and make there way into town to continue the night.

So now he sat, alone in front of the fire with a glass of whiskey and his hand tight in a fist as he watches the hand of the clock slice through time slowly and painfully. The more he watches the clock the more the pit of his stomach filled with burning anger. Who was she to disobey him like this? He had told her; go to the races and come home. Going galavanting with Ada was not a part of the plan. He had to admire her though, she was the first woman he had been with that ever dared to defy his instructions. The admiration would have to wait for now though, Tommy was to busy trying not to throw something at Arthurs' face.

"And that's why Polly shouldn't drink rum." Arthur laughs at his own joke, Tommy raises an eyebrow and hold back the desire to scoff at him. Thankfully he doesn't have to hold it back for long as a distraction comes in the form of Ada and Julia bounding through the door, pushing it so hard that it slaps against the wall. Tommy holds his breath as he watches Julia cling to Ada in a desperate attempt to stay upright. Both women are laughing hard with tears rolling down their faces.

"Tommy!" Julia squeals and stumbles across the room to him, landing in his lap with a thud. Tommy tenses as she throws her arms around his neck and plants a wet kiss on his cheek. Her beautifully pinned up hair that had shown her delicate neck was in disarray and her makeup was smudged under her eyes. Tommy had to turn his head away from her as she leant into him as she kept breathing on him, her breath stunk of alcohol. As he turns his head away from her she reaches up and grabs his face in her hand and pulls it back towards her. "You aren't mad at me are you Thomas?" Her words are concerned but her tone is accusing. Tommy knows this look, he has seen it on her before after she has had a drink. Julia wanted a fight, but he wouldn't give that to her, not today. Tomorrow morning, maybe when her head hurt and she couldn't remember the state she was in.

Tommy ignores her question and looks over towards his sister who is standing sheepishly next to Arthur, as though he would protect her. "I

m sorry!" Ada mouthes to Tommy with a grimace on her pointed features. Tommy looks down to the small woman in his arms, her head is resting on his chest and she is snoring softly. Tommy sighs and shuffles towards the edge of the seat before standing up. Julia was surprisingly light in his arms. She had made sure she was eating properly since she found out she was pregnant but she had lost weight from her already slim frame when she moved in with him.

He places her down on their bed and unbuttons her green dress, he begins to pull it up over her head but he can't pull it over her waist without moving her. Gently he shakes her shoulder and lifts her body up when he does she clings to him like a small child. Tommy chuckles and places a small kiss on the top of her head. By the time he has pulled the dress over head and placed her head back on the pillow, she is fast asleep again. Tommy switches off the lamp and makes his way out of the room. "Tommy" He hears her whisper, half asleep. He turns back towards her to see her eyes are still shut but she flutters them open to look directly at him. "Don't be hard on her, it was my idea." Tommy simply nods in response. Julia may have thought it was her idea but Ada could be as manipulative as the rest of them when she wanted to be.

He could feel Ada preparing herself for a fight as soon as he walked through the door. Hell, if she wanted one she was going to get one. "Tell me, Ada, what part of my pregnant wife drinking heavy liquor was a good idea?" Tommy hisses as he stands in front of her, perfectly still.

"Pregnant?" Arthur looks between the pair dumbfounded. Tommy raises his hand to his brother without taking his eyes away from Ada.

"She wanted to have some fun, Tommy!" Ada pleads with him as she throws her hands into the air.

"Fun? Ada, she's pregnant for fuck sake!"

"Well if you didn't keep her locked in this house all day maybe she wouldn't have got so bloody drunk Thomas!" Ada retorts she takes a deep breath but before she can continue his hand has hit her cheek and silence falls between them. Ada looks up at him through teary eyes as she holds her stinging cheek. "Hit a nerve there did I?" She spits at him. Tommy takes a step back and runs his fingers through his hair, giving himself time to calm down. "Maybe if you didn't treat her like a caged animal she wouldn't have asked me to go for a drink with her." Ada nods toward Arthur and grabs her bag before storming out of the room.

The door slams against the wall behind her again and Arthur closes it softly behind him but not before looking back at his brother. "She's right." Tommy picks up him the glass and throws it at the door as it shuts, the glass bounces off the door and smashes on the floor.

"Fuck!" He hisses, as he lights a cigarette he lets the smoke soothe his anger. Sure he shouldn't have hit Ada but why did she have to be such a loud mouth all the time. She was putting her opinion on something that did not require it. Yes, he knew that Julia did not go out a lot. Yes, he knew he wasn't home a lot but surely she knew she could come and go as she pleased? Tommy sighs as he throws his cigarette into the burning embers of the fire. Julia did know that this home wasn't her prison? Didn't she.

Tommy makes his way back up the stairs, leaving the broken glass on the floor for tomorrow morning. He pulls his shirt over his head and unbuckles his belt whilst looking at Julia. Her hair now in loose waves around her and the sheet barely covering her body. Slowly he leans down and places a gentle kiss on her lips. It was only the second kiss they had shared since the wedding and she was unconscious. Tommy pulls away and chuckles at the ridiculousness of the situation they were in but before he can stand up Julia's hands are around his neck and are pulling him back down to her lips. "Hold me," Julia whispers her breath tickling his lips. Tommy does not answer her with words but places his lips back to hers and leans over her. Before he has the chance to stop her she has kicked the sheet away from her and is wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him closer to her.

Tommy sinks lower on the bed and allows Julia to push her body into him. "Tommy," Julia whispers between kisses. "Take off your pant's." This tone is flirty or gentle. This tone is much more authoritative, she was giving him an order and he was all too happy to oblige.


End file.
